Protective sea rescue suit



A. KRCKL Feb. 20, 1968 PROTECTIVE SEA RESCUE SUIT Filed .April 2'7, l966 IVENTUR Mols KRECKL JWM United States Patent O 3,369,263 IPRUTECTEVE SEA RESCUE SUIT Alois Kracht, Kelsterbach (Main), Germany, 'assigner to Vereinigte Glanzstoif-Fabriken AG., Wuppertal-Elberfeld, Germany Fitted Apr. 27, 1966, Ser. No. 545,731 `Claims priority, application Germany, May 11, 1965, V 28,433 6 Claims. (Cl. 9-331) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLSURE A sea rescue suit including a unitary outer protective sheath impermeable to water and air and having a body portion with arm and leg sections and a hood portion fitting over the head while leaving an opening around the face, a Zipper extending from the upper part of said hood portion down below the waist of the body portion, an elastic sealing member connected as a rim around the face opening of the hood portion, an inner elastic fabric bonnet attached to the sealing member and fitting tightly over the head, and a multi-layered insulating textile material disposed between the outer sheath and the inner elastic bonnet of the head portion.

This invention is concerned with a protective sea rescue suit, and more particularly, the invention is directed to a watertight and airtight protective garment which completely encloses the body of the wearer except for the face and which provides protection not only from drowning but also from chilling.

When a catastrophe occurs at sea, there is a high probability that survivors may be forced to remain in the seawater for long periods of time without the benefit of life boats, rafts, or other means to protect themselves from exposure. For this reason, it is highly desirable to provide a sea rescue suit which is simple in its construction and use, i.e. so that it can be easily and rapidly donned by anyone without special instructions or practice and without malfunctions in the suit itself. Furthermore, it would be highly desirable to provide a sea rescue suit which would form a complete protective seal around the body of the wearer except for the face so as to prevent seawater from entering into the suit and also to prevent transmission of body heat. Such features would then permit a person to stay in the water for long periods of time without undue discomfort, thereby greatly increasing the chances of rescue.

ln this respect, a sea rescue suit is quite different from a divers suit which has many special devices for working under water whereby the diver can stay under water at various depths, can communicate with his escort ship and can come to the surface. In general, a sea rescue or lifesaving suit serves only the purpose of keeping a person afloat and protecting him from drowning and freezing. Under these circumstances, the special devices for divers suits are superfluous and must be avoided as useless ballast. In particular, a sea rescue suit must take into account the desperate situation of a shipwrecked person which tends to prevent him from thinking clearly or taking sensible action as well as taking into account the likelihood of a long exposure to cold seawater. Therefore, a sea rescue suit must include as essential features a simple, certain and rapid means of putting it on, complete freedom for breathing and a desirable floating position so that the person wearing the suit is upright or oblique on his back with his head over the surface of the water, as well as water-tightness and a high heatretention within the suit.

Known sea rescue suits and some diving suits fulfill ICC one or two of these features to some extent, depending upon their exact construction, but no sea rescue suit is known which provides all of these features in a fully satisfactory manner so as to substantially improve the survival of a shipwrecked person floating in cold seawater for a relatively long period of time.

For example, U.S. Patent No, 2,882,897 discloses a method and apparatus for breathing air from a compressed-air apparatus which a diver carries with him. This apparatus is suitable as a face mask which covers either the eye and nose portion of the face or the eyes, nose and mouth. This mask is not connected with a protective suit.

French Patent No. 1,248,004 describes a device for diving equipment or diver suits which consists of individual inflatable units of a rubberized fabric which can be inserted or mounted externally around the neck or on the waist of the diving equipment and can be inflated when needed. These special devices satisfy certain requirements of diving and make it possible for the diver, by suitable inflation of the potential fioaters, to regulate the amount of lift and thereby the diving depth as desired. Sea rescue suits are not used for diving so that no obvious purpose would be served by such devices.

The underwater breathing mask with a full view and nose breathing equipment according tot French Patent No. 1,039,971 consists essentially of a mask which covers the eyes and nose but leaves the mouth free, and an air connecting device which is coupled to the mask by breathing lines. This apparatus can be used in conjunction with air flasks which are coupled to the air ,connecting device. Here, again, one is dealing with a special underwater breathing apparatus for divers which has no particular use in sea rescue or lifesaving suits.

French Patent No. 1,004,142 is directed to improvements in diving equipment consisting of two parts joined on a belt. The diving suit has valves for the release of entrapped air to the outside and a pressure-reduction valve which is fed with compressed air or another gas so as to introduce this gas into the interior of the suit. In addition to means for circulation of the gas or air, which keeps the volume of the inner gas cushion in equilibrium, there is also provided a separate means for circulating air to permit independent breathing. For example, the air for the breathing circulation is fed from the surface of the water through a pump, while the air or gas employed as a cushion inside the suit is supplied from a separate source which the diver wears on his person. On the other hand, both circulations of gas can be supplied from a common feed source. This multiplicity of technical devices contributes to the improvement of diving equipment, but it would be quite dangerous as well as an unnecessary complication to add such devices to a sea rescue suit.

Likewise, the diving suit according to French Patent No. 1,031,092 would not be suitable for sea rescue purposes. The diving suit of this patent also consists of two parts which are connected over a rigid, independent ring, and completely covers the body and head of the diver in a watertight and gastight manner. The diver breathes inwardly through the mouth and outwardly through the nose into the interior of the suit by means of special apparatus provided for this purpose. The jacket of the suit is therefore provided with gas outlet valves.`

diving suit. The closure at the neck and face of this sea rescue suit is not watertight. Water is kept out of the interior of the suit only if the closure on the neck and face always lies higher than the water level in the interior of the cap or hood, regardless of whether the wearer is floating upright or in a supine position. Therefore, this arrangement only offers a limited security against the danger of drowning and is somewhat questionable as a lifesaving device if only for psychological reasons,

One object of the present invention is to provide a sea rescue suit which will meet all of the necessary requirements of such a suit as indicated hereinabove. In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide a sea rescue suit which will afford a high degree of protection from drowning and freezing for any person involved in a marine disaster, even when forced to remain in cold seawater for a long period of time. Still another object of the invention is to provide a sea rescue suit which can be put on by a shipwrecked person in a short period of time and used in the water without requiring extensive instructions or complicated apparatus which is difficult to operate. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a sea rescue suit which is fully insulated and which permits one to adjust the position of the body in the water so as to obtain maximum comfort.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. l is a front View of a preferred embodiment of the sea rescue suit according to the invention, illustrating the manner in which the suit is worn in the fully inflated position;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the same sea rescue suit with its collar or shawl deflated;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the insulated lining or inner quilted suit to be worn for the retention of heat;

FIG. 4 is a side View of the upper portion of the suit with its outer sheath or protective cover cut away to show the insulated portion of the hood;

FIG. 5 is a side view corresponding to FIG. 4 in crosssection in order to show the details of the hood construction;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a suitable waterproof and -air-proof zipper construction; and

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the fabric construction of the sea rescue suit where the inner lining is adhered to the outer protective sheath.

In accordance with the invention, a sea rescue suit is provided which completely encloses the entire body of the wearer other than his face, and which essentially includes the following features: (A) a unitary, waterproof, air-proof, outer protective sheath composed of a low density, thermoplastic, synthetic fabric which is coated to make it impermeable to water and air and which is shaped to generally lit the contour of the human body, thereby providing a body portion with arm and leg sections and a hood portion fitting over the head and having an opening around the face, said unitary outer sheath containing a substantially water-tight and air-tight zipper extending from the hood portion down to a point below about the waist of the body portion and said outer sheath further containing at least two air compensating valves, one of said valves being located in said arm section to permit air to be blown into the interior of said suit and another of said valves being located in the lower body portion to permit air to be expelled from said suit; (B) a highly elastic face frame connected as a rim around the face opening of said hood portion and adapted to be pulled tightly against the face to form a secure seal therearound; and (C) an inner bonnet composed of a highly elastic fabric joined to said elastic face frame and shaped to fit tightly over the head so as to pull said face frame securely in place in its sealing position around the face.

Referring now to the drawing, the sea rescue suit according to the invention is illustrated in FIGS. l yand 2 as to its outer appearance when being worn by a person and consists generally of a body portion 1 and a hood 2 designed as a unitary overall protective covering adapted to tit loosely over the entire body and head of the wearer except for an opening 3 in the hood which is adapted to tit snugly in a watertight and airtight position around the face as described in greater detail hereinbelow. The body portion includes an insulated inner lining 4 which can be adhered to or preferably buttoned into the outer protective sheath or covering 1. It may also be worn separately as an inner suit containing a tightly tting elasticized collar 5 and a zipper 6 centered on the front side of the body and extending down below the waist to provide quick and easy access into the suit.

The outer protective sheath 1 and 2 also is equipped with a zipper 7 which should be so constructed as to provide a watertight and airtight seal in the closed position. By way of example, a cross-section of a suitable sealing zipper can be made as illustrated in FIG. 6 such that the teeth S of the Zipper are embedded in rubber strips 9 and 10 and/or interlocking rubber flaps 11 and 12 close over and seal off the zipper. Alternatively, it is also feasible to use a zipper of known construction in which the teeth are made of neoprene so as to be self-sealing together with a softer rubber backing in the form of aps which are pressed together as the zipper is closed. The outer zipper 7 is preferably positioned so as to extend downwardly from the upper portion of the head to about the hip level, thereby permitting easy access into both the hood 2 and the body portion 1. With this arrangement, water and air cannot pass through the outer sheath, and even if the Zipper 7 is not completely drawn shut at the top, very little water or air can pass at this point, particularly if the hood is drawntightly on the head and/or is blocked by an inner flap or sealing cup 13 at the uppermost position of the zipper slide (as indicated in FIG. 2).

In order to regulate the amount of air within the suit, at least two air volume compensating valves are placed in the `body portion 1, one valve 14 being located on the back of the left hand or along either lower arm section so as to permit air to be blown into the suit while it is being worn. If desired, this valve 14 can be equipped with a short length of tubing 15 projecting outwardly from the suit for convenience in exhaling air from the mouth into the suit. One or two more valves 16 are positioned at approximately the waist or hip level and can be actuated to release air from the suit, preferably by means of a pressure actuated valve stem which can be easily manipulated by hand.

These intake and exhaust valves may be constructed according to any conventional design and firmly adhered and sealed by a grommet or the like into the outer protective sheath 1. One-way valves are especially suitable, valve 14 permitting air to pass only into the suit and valves 16 permitting only outward passage of air. For example, a spring means can be used to maintain the valves 16 in a normally closed position except when pressure is applied, either on the valve stem or a valve plate attached thereto so as to release air from the suit. Air pressure within the suit is sufhcient to maintain the valve 14 in a normally closed position, e.g. by means of an inner flap or movable valve closure device commonly used for inflating hollow objects.

Depending upon the volume of air introduced into the suit or expelled therefrom with these compensating valves, the position of the body in the water can be regulated from a slightly oblique to a vertical direction, a greater air volume within the suit being required to raise the whole body up to an almost horizontal position. This permits the person wearing the suit to change his position in the water periodically, so as to prevent a feeling of being trapped in one position. Also, in relatively calm water, one can assume an almost horizontal position for sleeping while a vertical position is more desirable in bad weather or rough water.

In order to provide additional flotation support for the head, it is preferable to include an inflatable collar or shawl 17 joined by a waterproof adhesive to the outer sheath at about the juncture of the body portion 1 and hood 2. This infiatable shawl 17 thus extends partly around the neck above the shoulders, so as to provide a passageway 18 for the zipper 7 as it extends upwardly on the hood. A mouthpiece or tube 19 similar to valve 14 is used in a conventional manner for inliating the shawl 17. A lash or snap-fastened tab 20 can be used as an aid in holding the shawl in place, although its use is not essential.

Another desirable feature of the sea rescue suit according to the invention is the provision of a profiled sole 21 on the foot of each leg section of the body portion 1, i.e. a sole `which is ribbed or corrugated to provide good frictional gripping when attempting to walk on the deck of a ship during a disaster at sea.

All of the individual elements of the outer protective sheath including the body portion 1, the hood portion 2 and the inflatable shawl 17 are joined together as a unitary, integral, flexible,`waterproof and air proof, fabriclike covering by using any of many known waterproof adhesives, and the quilted, insulated, inner lining can also be joined to the outer sheath by such adhesion as indicated by the cross-sectional view of such a multilayer fabric shown in FIG. 7. Ready access and sealing of the suit is provided by a single zipper, or at the most two zippers, which are easy to operate and require no special instructions. Even the operation of the air volume compensating valves as well as the inflatable shawl will be almost self-evident to the person Wearing the suit or can be readily discovered with a minimum amount of experimentation.

One of the most important features of the sea rescue suit of the invention is the construction of the hood as shown in greater detail in FIGS. 4 and 5. In addition to the outer protective sheath 2, this hood essentially includes a relatively thick, highly elastic face frame, rim or border 22 capable of being pulled tightly against the face, i.e. over the chin below the mouth, across the forehead and along either side of the face in front of the ears. This face frame 22 is securely adhered as a border around the opening 3 of the outer sheath `2 and is likewise adhered to the inner bonnet 23, again by using any suitable waterproof adhesive or cement.

The inner bonnet 23 is composed of a highly elastic fabric of the type commonly used in foundation garments or undergarments` where it is desirable to closely t and hold the contours of the body. Thus, the bonnet 23 is adapted to be pulled tightly over the head and to be held in this position while in turn this bonnet pulls or draws the elastic face frame securely into its sealing position around the face.

For greater warmth and protection of the wearers head, the hood should also be provided with an inner lining 24 which is sandwiched between the outer sheath 2 and inner bonnet 23. This hood liner can also be joined along its outermost surface to the outer sheath, but it is preferably unattached for ease in drawing the hood over the head, except those marginal portions where the hood liner is advantageously joined to the other parts of the hood around the back of the neck and to the face frame. As indicated in FIG. 4, the collar portion 25 of the hood liner 24 is preferably separated along its front edge 26 below the chin so that it can be easily opened when the hood is pulled over the head. Then, the elastic bonnet 23 will tend to draw the hood liner 24 back to a closed position along its line of separation.

As suitable lightweight textile materials for fabricating the various parts of the suit, it is especially desirable to use various known synthetic thermoplastic fibers in certain combinations which will yield the particular properties desired in each element. The following description sets forth specific textile materials which have been found to be particularly suitable for purposes of the present invention.

The outer protective skin or sheath l (and 2) consists of a commercially available nylon fabric of 210/ 36 denier filaments with a thread system of 18/18, and the fabric is coated on both sides with polyvinyl chloride or it may also be coated with any synthetic rubber. The nylon fabric provides a strong, flexible and lightweight base for the waterproof coating material and should generally have a specific Weight of about to 250 grams/ m.2 and a strength value on the order of kg., as determined on 5 cm. strips. The waterproof coating is applied by conventional methods and is preferably oilproof, seawaterproof and acidproof, resistant to temperatures expected under conditions of use, dyed with the conventional recognition colors yellow or red-orange, and easily cemented or welded.

The inner suit or inner liner 4 is fabricated from a multilayer insulating textile material and consists essentially of a polyester fleece center layer covered on the side facing the body of the wearer with a velour fabric and on the opposite side with a smoothly knitted or woven fabric of nylon threads. The three layers are stitched or quilted in a pattern of squares of relatively large areas, e.g. in a field of 10 x 10 cm. The fleece is composed of commercial polyethylene terephthalate laments, e.g. Diolen or Daeron, and consists of 3 to 6 individual filaments overlaid in a random pattern in many layers to yield a specific weight for the fleece center layer of at least about 300 grams/m2. It is desirable to apply a very small amount of a cement or bonding agent as a superficial treatment on the surface of the fieece in order to prevent individual fibers from piercing the outer fabric layers.

The velour fabric layer of the fleece which faces the body is a velourized, Z-bar warp-knit fabric of 40/10 denier nylon threads, e.g. of Perlon, with a short raised lay or nap facing outwardly for contact with the body of the wearer and with a specific fabric weight of about 130 grams/m2. In forming the velour nap, the individual threads are not cut or torn up but instead the loops are merely raised. The opposite nylon fabric layer on the side of the fleece away from the body, e.g. also of Perlon, is

a smooth warp fabric of 20 to 40 denier filaments with a specific fabric weight of about 5() to 80 grams/m2.

If the inner layer of fabric covering the fleece on the body side is made with a cut or torn raised nap or pile rather than the above-noted velour nylon fabric, then the pile side of the fabric should face the: fleece in order to avoid knapping during extended use.

Insulating `fabrics composed ofl several layers as described above have an excellent heat retention capacity, and by suitable modication of the specific weight of each layer and/or by suitable selection of various types of bers as to denier, crimping and the like, one can readily fabricate the inner liner and adapt it to its particular purpose in the suit. For example, for the inner liner 24 of the hood, it is preferable to use a more compact or lighter layer of fleece, eg. with a weight of about g./m.2, and to quilt with a pattern of smaller squares e.g. in a field of 5 x 5 cm., so as to permit somewhat greater flexibility without causing the fleece to shift or collect in one place.

As more fully illustrated in FIG. 7, the outer sheath can be securely joined to the inner lining or insulating material to form a unitary, high strength, lightweight,

waterproof and airtight, insulated textile fabric which can be fabricated into the shape and form of the sea rescue suit, according to the invention. Thus, as shown in FIG. 7, the outer sheath 1 is a high strength nylon fabric composed of continuous nylon-6 filaments in a 210/ 36 yarn, this fabric being coated on the outer side with chloroprene as a synthetic rubber, although other waterproof coatings may also be used such as Ipolyvinyl chloride in order to make the fabric seawaterstight.

This outer waterproof fabric 1 is united with a multilayered unbonded polyester fleece 27 of 3 to 6 denier iilaments, covered on both sides with a nylon-6 fabric 28 and 29 and quilted with these by stitching 34B into large square surfaces (l x l() cm). The lower fleece covering fabric 29 forming the inside of the suit is a velour knit fabric of 40/ 10 to 18 -denier yarn with the pile or raised nap facing downwardly, i.e. inwardly, toward the body of the wearer. The upper ileece covering fabric 2S which faces the uncoated side of the outer waterproof sheath 1 is covered with a light knit fabric 31 of monofile nylon-6 endless threads of 20 denier and this in turn is securely joined to the inner fabric layer 23 and the outer sheath 1 by any suitable adhesive or bonding agent.

The waterproof and airtight, lightweight, insulating materials of synthetic thermoplastic textiles for the sea rescue suit of the invention possess a considerable number of advantages over closed-pore foam materials with a fabric lining such as have been previously used for underwater protection, e.g. in diving suits. While closed-pore foarned materials are highly elastic, they have very low strength and relatively poor insulating capacity. Protective suits made from such foams, eg. for divers, lie very tightly on the body and can be used only in the so-called wet immersion method in which a water lm is introduced between the body and the inner surface of the suit, this Water film adapting itself to the body temperature but permitting the diver to stay in cold water for only a relatively short period of time. Thus, while these wet immersion suits are well adapted for use by divers, they are quite useless as a sea rescue or lifesaving suit.

By contrast, the multilayered insulating materials of synthetic thermoplastic textiles fabricated according to the present invention into a sea rescue suit yields a ready-made garment with an insulating layer of air between the body and the outer protective covering. This air layer together with the voluminous textile iieece as an insulating layer tends to keep moisture in the form of condensed water on the interior of the suit away from the body, so that the suit can be comfortably worn in cold seawater for long periods of time. Most importantly, the sea rescue suit of the invention is quickly and easily donned for emergency use to provide a highly airtight and water-tight protective garment with easily operated means for adjusting the air volume within the suit.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. A protective sea rescue suit adapted to enclose the entire body of the wearer other than the face, said suit comprising:

(a) a unitary, water-proof, air-proof, outer protective sheath composed of a low density, thermoplastic, synthetic fabric which is coated to make it impermeable to water and air and which is shaped to generally fit the contour of the human body, thereby providing a body portion with arm and leg sections and a hood portion fitting loosely over the head and having an opening around the face, said unitary outer sheath containing a substantially water-tight and air-tight zipper extending from the upper part of said hood portion down to a point below about the waist of the body portion;

(b) a highly elastic face frame connected as a rim around the face opening of said hood portion and adapted to be pulled tightly against the face to form a secure seal therearound;

(c) an inner bonnet composed of a highly elastic fabric joined to said elastic face frame and shaped to t tightly over the head so as to pull said face frame securely in place in its sealing position around thc face; and

(d) a fibrous insulating inner lining for said protective outer sheath-which in at least the hood portion of said suit is a multilayered insulating textile material disposed between said outer sheath and said inner elastic bonnet.

2. A protective sea rescue suit as claimed in claim 1 wherein an inatable shawl is attached to said outer sheath in a position corresponding approximately to the juncture of said hood portion and said body portion.

3. A protective sea rescue suit as claimed in claim 1 equipped throughout with an inner lining composed of a low density multilayered, quilted, insulating textile material in which a fibrous fleece is held in place between at least two layers of a textile fabric.

4. A protective sea rescue suit as claimed in claim 3 wherein said insulating textile material is firmly joined to the outer protective sheath throughout the body portion of said suit.

5. A protective sea rescue suit as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sole of the foot in the leg section of said outer sheath is profiled.

6. A protective sea rescue suit as claimed in claim 1 wherein said outer sheath contains at least two air coinpensating valves, one of said valves being located in said arm section to permit air to be blown into the interior of said suit and another of said valves being located in the lower body portion to permit air to be expelled from said suit.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,361,210 12/1920 Wheeler 9-331 X 2,618,257 11/1952 `Berkman 2-82 X 2,647,507 8/1953 Shaw 9-330 X 2,838,854 6/1958 Dosmann 36-4 2,911,649 ll/1959 Ruelle et al. 9-331 X 2,921,457 1/1960 Evans 2-94 X 3,026,522' 3/1962 Di Julio 2-2.1 3,076,206 2/1963 Shaw 9-330 FOREIGN PATENTS 351,183 2/1961 Switzerland.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner. T. W. BUCKMAN, Assisfcm Examiner. 

